Fragrance comparison

Bal à Versailles vs Clair de Lune

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 16 Oct 2026 2,281 ratings analysed

4 wins

Bal à Versailles

Jean Desprez

4.152,256 votes

Rank #23,270 AmberPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

22%scent match

Clearly different

Clair de Lune

Marbert

4.1225 votes

Rank #25,962 Warm SpicyCinnamon

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bal à Versailles takes 4 of 7 categories.

Bal à Versailles
Choose it for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in winter.
Clair de Lune
Choose it for a warm spicy and cinnamon character. Wins on community sentiment, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.

Bal à Versailles4/7

Clair de Lune3/7

Ratings & consensus: Bal à Versailles
Community sentiment: Clair de Lune
Longevity: Bal à Versailles
Sillage & projection: Clair de Lune
Value for money: Bal à Versailles
Versatility: Clair de Lune
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Bal à Versailles

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

Bal à VersaillesJean Desprez

Clair de LuneMarbert

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 2,256 votes

Have 73%Had 27%Want 0%

4.12/ 5 · 25 votes

Have 25%Had 13%Want 62%

Category winnerBal à VersaillesRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

47%Love

36%Like

3%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

2,256 votes

28%Love

64%Like

0%Ok

8%Dislike

0%Hate

25 votes

Category winnerClair de LuneMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity75

〰 Sillage77

♥ Love / hate78

Category winners

LongevityBal à Versailles

SillageClair de Lune

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

¤ Price value56

Category winnerBal à VersaillesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

powdery92%

woody84%

animalic77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

warm spicy100%

cinnamon92%

honey84%

sweet77%

woody69%

rose61%

Scent match22%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Top

RoseBulgarian RoseOrange BlossomJasmineRosemaryNeroliMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

LeatherYlang-YlangSandalwoodOrris RootPatchouliLilacVetiverLily-of-the-Valley

Base

CivetResinsTolu BalsamAmberBenzoinVanillaMuskCedar

Top20-30 mins

CinnamonMandarin Orange

Heart3-4 hrs

RoseJasmineYlang-YlangOrange Blossom

Base8-10+ hrs

HoneySandalwoodBenzoinVanilla

InformationalShared notesBulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom, Jasmine and Mandarin Orange. Durations are only published for Clair de Lune, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring31

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring57

Summer57

Fall100

Winter86

Day47

Night100

Category winnerClair de LuneMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex47

Women49

Men0

Unisex50

Women50

Date 39%Party 29%Casual 17%Work 15%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,270

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#25,962

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews4

Category winnerBal à VersaillesHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Bal a Versailles opens with a dense puff of orange blossom and powdery rose before shifting into a heavy, lived-in leather. This vintage classic suits collectors who crave dramatic, animalic warmth rather than modern clean scents. Wear it on cold winter nights when you want a rich envelope of resins and civet to cling…

Reviews →

Marbert Clair de Lune makes a bold, unapologetic entrance. The cinnamon hits immediately. It pricks the nose with a dry, culinary heat before sweet mandarin orange softens the edges. Give it ten minutes. Once the initial alcohol flash settles, lush honey and creamy ylang-ylang wrap around velvet rose petals. This is n…

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Bal à Versailles or Clair de Lune?

Bal à Versailles takes 4 of 7 categories. Bal à Versailles is rated 4.15/5 from 2,256 votes; Clair de Lune is rated 4.12/5 from 25 votes. Choose Bal à Versailles for a amber and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in winter. Choose Clair de Lune for a warm spicy and cinnamon character. Wins on community sentiment, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Bal à Versailles or Clair de Lune?

They last about the same: Bal à Versailles 76/100, Clair de Lune 75/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Bal à Versailles or Clair de Lune?

Clair de Lune projects furthest (Clair de Lune 77/100, Bal à Versailles 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bal à Versailles and Clair de Lune smell similar?

Clearly different: a 22% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Bulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom, Jasmine and Mandarin Orange.

Is Bal à Versailles or Clair de Lune better for summer or winter?

For summer, Clair de Lune is the stronger pick. For winter, Bal à Versailles is the stronger pick. Clair de Lune suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bal à Versailles and Clair de Lune?

Bal à Versailles has top notes of Rose, Bulgarian Rose, Orange Blossom and Jasmine, heart notes of Leather, Ylang-Ylang, Sandalwood and Orris Root, a base of Civet, Resins, Tolu Balsam and Amber. Clair de Lune has top notes of Cinnamon and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Rose, Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang and Orange Blossom, a base of Honey, Sandalwood, Benzoin and Vanilla.